Motor heater



Nov. 26, 1935. E. w. DWYER 2,022,559

MOTOR HEATER Original Filed Dec. 193s Patented Nov. 26, 1935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 2, 1933, Serial No. 700,721Renewed August 19, 1935 5 Claims.

This invention relates to heating means for internal combustion enginesor accessories to the engine.

An object of this invention is to provide a means for initially heatingthe interior of an internal combustion engine so that the engine willpromptly start during cold weather and immediately on the starting ofthe engine, the oil or lubricant in the engine will begin to flow freelythroughout the parts of the engine.

A further object of this invention is to provide a heating means in theform of an attachment which is so constructed that it can be mounted onany of the present types of internal combustion engines or on thetransmission casings or the like without disturbing the present parts ofthe article to which it is applied.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an attachment ofthis kind which is so constructed that it will not affect theventilation of the interior of the engine after the'engine has started.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this inventionwill in part be described in, and in part be understood from thefollowing detail description of the present preferred embodiment, thesame being illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a device constructed inaccordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention, mounted onthe side of an internal combustion engine which is shown in fragmentaryform.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on the line 22of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing wherein like numerals of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the views, the letter C designatesgenerally a crank case of a conventional internal combustion enginewhich is adapted to hold the usual quantity of oil. In' order to heatnot only the oil in the crank case C but the interior of the crank caseand the inside of the engine block disposed above the crank case C,together with the other Working parts of the engine on the inside of theengine block or communicating therewith, I have provided a housinggenerally designated as II] which is provided with an outlet port l3having a pipe I4 connected thereto.

This pipe l4 comprises two telescoping pipe sections I5 and 16 which hasan elbow ll connected thereto having a short extension i8 which issecured in a vertical wall of the crank case C. Lock nuts l9 may bethreaded onto the extension or nipple l8, one on each side of thevertical wall of the casing C, so as to seal this extension [8 andprevent leakage of any oil thereabout. The lower pipe section Ittelescopes the upper pipe section l5 so that the casing I0 may bedisposed in the desired position relative to the side of the 5 engine. Adamper or valve is disposed in the pipe section l5 and is provided witha lever 21 by means of which the valve 20 may be turned to either closedor open position.

A motor housing 22 is secured above the housl0 ing I0 and has a motor Mmounted therein. This motor housing 22 is preferably sealed and wires Wconnect the motor M with a socket 23 secured to the side of the housingID. The top wall of the housing I0 is integral with the bottom wall 2415 of the housing 22 and air intake members 25 are disposed between thetop 24 and the upper edge of the housing I0 and communicate at one endwith the atmosphere and at the other end with the interior of thehousing I0. 20

Fan blades 26 are secured to a shaft 21 of the motor M and are disposedbelow the intake members 25 so that when the fan blades 26 are rotatedby the motor M, the air will be drawn into the housing Ill through theintake members 25 and 25 will pass downwardly through the housing I0.Preferably the housing 22 and the wall 24 have an overlapping edgeportion 28 engaging about the upper edge of the housing In so that whendesired the two housings l0 and 22 may be sep- 30 arated or assembled.

A truncated cone 29 is disposed within the housing I0 between the fanblades 26 and the outlet port l3 and is supported with the base thereofspaced from the side wall of the housing III by means of brackets 30. Asocket 3| of insulated construction is secured to the top of thetruncated cone 29 and a heating element generally designated as 32engages in this socket 33. The socket 3| is connected as by wires 33 tothe socket member 23 on the outside of the housing I0 and is preferablyin the same circuit as the motor M.

The heating element 32 comprises an insulated truncated cone 34 havingsecured thereto a plug 35 which threadably engages in the socket 23. Inthe use and operation of this heating means the socket member 23 isadapted to be connected to a source of current supply and is preferablyconnected to the house current by means of a plug 36 having wires 31attached thereto and the motor M may be of either alternating or directcurrent type.

When it is desired to start the internal combustion engine, the motor Mis started first and the heating element 33 connected to the plug 36.The fan blades 26 will draw cool air through the intake ports or membersand this cool air will pass downwardly in the housing about thetruncated cone or shield 29 which will be heated under the action of theresistance coils comprising the heating element 32. By causing the airto pass about the coils the cool air will not unduly cool the coils butthis cool air will be heated through contact with the shield 29 and willpass thereabout and downwardly through the outlet 23. When the motor Mis started the valve or damper 29 is swung into open position therebypermitting the air to pass downwardly into the crank case C where theair will enter the crank case at a point above the normal level of theoil or lubricant in this case C. The warm air will, after en aging theparts of the motor and heating these parts so as to warm the oil, thenpass out of the motor through the conventional breather pipe.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that an exceedingly simpleattachment has been provided for heating the inside of the internalcombustion engine prior to the starting thereof which will permit thequick starting of the engine and do away with undue strain on thestarting mechanism as is the case where the starting mechanism muststart a motor or engine which is cool. While I have shown the motor M asbeing adapted to be interposed in a conventional house current supply,this motor may as well be connected to the battery current or any othersource of electrical current supply.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of construction and design of the abovespecifically described embodiment of this invention without departingfrom the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restrictedonly by the scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:--

l. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a heating meansas set forth comprising a housing having an intake port and an outletport, means for connecting said outlet port to the crank case of theengine, a valve in said connecting means, a heating medium within thehousing, operating means for said valve extending outwardly of saidconnecting means and means intermediate said heating medium and saidintake port to force the air through the housing.

2. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a heating meansas set forth comprising a housing having an intake port and an outletport, means for connecting said outlet port to the crank case of theengine, a valve in said connecting means, said means including twotelescoping members, a heating medium within the housing, operatingmeans for said valve extending outwardly of said connecting means andmeans carried by the housing for forcing air therethrough.

3. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a heating meansas set forth comprising a housing having an intake port and an outletport, a pair of telescoping members connected to said outlet port and tothe crank case of the engine whereby to permit the positioning of thehousing at a desired point relative to the crank case, a valve carriedby one of said members, a heating medium within the housing, a motorsupported above the housing and fan blades connected to the motor anddisposed within the housing intermediate the intake port and the heatingmedium to force air through the housing and operating means for saidvalve extending outwardly of said one member.

4. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a heating meansas set forth comprising a housing having an intake port and an outletport, telescoping pipe means connected to the outlet port and to thecrank case of the engine, a valve in said pipe means, a truncatedheating medium in the housing intermediate the intake port and theoutlet port, a truncated shield about the heating medium, means forsupporting the shield and the heating medium in spaced relation to theside walls of the housing, means for forcing air through the housing andoperating means for said valve extending outwardly of said connectingmeans.

5. The combination with an internal combustion engine of a heating meansas set forth comprising a housing having an intake port and an outletport, means for connecting the outlet port of the housing to the crankcase of the engine, a valve in said connecting means, operating meansfor said valve extending outwardly of said connecting means, a heatingmedium in the housing, a truncated shield about the heating medium,means for supporting said shield and said heating medium in the housingin spaced relation to the side walls of the housing at a pointintermediate the intake and the outlet ports, a motor housing secured tothe housing at the end opposite from the outlet port, a motor in thehousing, a fan secured to said motor and disposed within the housingintermediate the shield and the intake port and means disposed on theoutside of the housing for con heating the motor and the heating mediumto a source of electrical current supply.

EMMETT W. DWYER.

